Clothes-rack



No Model.)

G. BARTLETT. CLOTHES RAGK.

Patented Mar. 3, 1896.

A TTOHNEIYS.

NITE TATES ATENT FFicE.

GRANVILLE BARTLETT, OF RUSI'IVILLE, INDIANA.

CLOTH ES-RACK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 555,843, dated March 3, 1896.

Application filed September 3, 1895. Serial No. 561,269. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GRANVILLE BARTLETT, of Rushville, in the county of Bush and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Clothes and Vine Racks," of which the following is a specification.

My invention is an improved rack for supporting clothes, vines and the like; and the invention consists in certain novel constructions, combinations and arrangements of parts, as will be hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved clothes-rack. Fig. 2 is a side View of same, showing one side folded and the other side partially folded. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a modified form of my improvement when used as a vine-rack, and Fig. 4 is a detail view illustrating a portion of a central frame of twisted wire.

The rack shown in Fig. 1 is the construction preferred for a clothes-rack, and comprises the central frame A, the leaves B and the legs or leaf-supports O. The central frame A has the uprights A, united'at their upper ends by the top cross-bar A and the uprights A are twisted or bent at intervals, forming the oppositely-projected eyes a a, affording pivot connections for the inner ends of the leaves B, which, like the frame A, are formed of wire and have their inner ends hooked into connection with the eyes a so the leaves may swing in against or outward from the central frame, as shown. When folded downward, the leaves rest flat against the central frame, forming a compact, closely-folded structure. The upper leaf, B, has at the inner ends of its arms the L-shaped extensions 1) beyond its pivots, the arms cl of such extensions lapping alongside the bar A when the leaves are opened and being secured by latches consisting of loops E, as shown. This construction prevents the rack from collapsing.

The leaves are made of different lengths, so the outer crossbars thereof will not stand vertically one above the other, and connecting-wires F extend between the side bars of the leaves and afford means for hanging clothes or the like, the several overlapping wires F being arranged out of vertical alignment, so the clothing hung on one will drape alongside that upon the lower wires F.

The outer legs or supports 0 connect with the outer edges of the leaves. For vine-racks I usually provide one leg or support for each set of leaves, as shown in Fig. 3, but for clothes-racks I prefer to employ two legs for each set of leaves, arranging them at the opposite corners, as shown in Fig. 1.

In connecting the legs with the lower leaves Iform eyes 0 fitting the leaves comparatively closely, while for the upper leaves I form the legs with slots 0 elongated vertically, the eyes 0 and slots 0 being formed by bending the wire legs, as shown. The slotted formation at 0 permits the folding of the leaves fiat against the central frame, the several leaves of the sets being of different lengths, as shown.

In the clothes-rack construction I prefer to bend the ends of all the upright portions A and O to form feet, while the lower ends of the vine-rack uprights A and C may be left, forming points to stick in the ground.

The central frame A has below its top crossbar A cross-bars a usually one for each leaf below the top one, such cross-bars a being twisted into connection with the uprights A of the central frame, as shown. This central frame is preferably made wider at the bottom than at the top, and while it is shown as formed of a single wire it maybe made of several wires twisted or otherwise secured together, as will be understood from Fig. 4. The leaves are made of different lengths and widths, gradually lengthening and widening toward the bottom of the rack, and the leaves are supported by the slotted uprights, which are kept from movement endwise along the leaves by the rings a on the upper and lower leaves, and between which the slotted uprights are held and move.

It is preferred to make the vine-rack wider at the top than at the bottom on all sides. This rack is especially adapted for the support of tomato-vines, and by making it wider at the top than at the bottom it lets the parts of the vine bearing the fruit flare apart from the center to all sides, thus giving the fruit plenty of room to ripen.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A rack substantially as described comprising a central upright frame a plurality of side leaves pivotally connected with said central frame one pair of said leaves being provided with lever-like extensions beyond their pivots and the latches securing said lever-like extensions substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of the leaves and the support to which such leaves are pivoted and the legs or uprights extending between said leaves and having slotted connections with certain ones thereof substantially as set forth.

3. The improved rack herein described con sisting of the central frame of wire having uprights and connecting portion and having the uprights twisted at intervals forming oppositely-projected loops, the series of leaves of Wire having their arms hooked into pivotal engagement With said loops, the upper leaves having L shaped lever extensions beyond their pivots,the loop-latches movable into and out of engagement with said L-shaped extensions and the legs connecting said leaves and having slotted engagement with certain of the leaves all substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

GRANVILLE BARTLETT.

Witnesses:

ORLET L. BARTLETT, GEO. F. MOORE. 

